Shoe



Jan. 2, 1940. .s. TROY 2,185,362

SHOE

Filed Aug. 16, 1937 attorney patented Jan. 2, 194D UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to shoes, more particularly to ladies low shoes of the pump type.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a shoe of the character described with an upper which is resiliently yieldable or elastic in a marginal edge portion thereof at the foot opening. Said yieldable and elastic portion may extend completely around the foot opening or may be confined to any desired part of the upper at said foot opening. Ordinarily, it is desirable that the upper be yieldable at the front edge of the foot opening whereby to avoid cutting of the wearers instep and otherwise to avoid discomfort to the wearer. However, it is advantageous to provide an upper which has an elastic portion extending completely around the foot opening as this facilitates the fit of the upper to the wearers foot, without the use of laces, straps, or other adjusting elements.

In accordance with the present invention, the elastic portions of the upper are provided without altering the appearance of the upper at said elastic portions. More specifically, the upper of the shoe comprises elastic leather which has the same appearance in the shoe as ordinary leather which is substantially inelastic. Thus, for example the shoe embodying the present invention may have a quarter composed of suede leather and the marginal edge portion of said quarter extending around the foot opening is elastic for accomplishing the objects of the present invention. The rest of the quarter may be elastic or inelastic as preferred.

The above objects of the invention and other objects which might hereinafter appear will be fully understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a shoe made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the front part of a shoe illustrating a modification;

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the shoe it, here shown as a ladys low shoe, comprises a sole 12, a heel l4 and an upper including a quarter it, composed of any suitable leather capable of being rendered elastic in accordance with the present invention. The upper marginal edge part l8 of quarter It is resiliently yieldable and elastic. As here shown, said yieldable and elastic portion extends completely around the foot opening of the shoe. In the form of the invention illustrated herein the remaining portion 20 of the quarter is substantially non-elastic, although it is within the scope of the invention to provide a quarter which is elastic throughout. While marginal edge portion i8 is elastic, it is free from wrinkles or puckers in its normal contracted condition as well as in its extended or stretched condition. For best results, the material of quarter It is preferably suede or kidskin.

The manner in which marginal edge portion I8 is rendered elastic without altering the appearance thereof will now be described. For best results, the thickness of the skin, in the portion thereof which is to be elastic, is preferably about & of an inch. As the average skin is thicker than is desirable for the purpose of the present invention, the portion of quarter [6 which is to be rendered elastic is reduced in thickness, as indicated in Fig. 2 from which it will be observed that marginal edge portion I8 is thinner than the remaining portion 20 of quarter I6. The reduction in thickness is accomplished by removing material from the wrong side of the leather, which in the case of suede leather, is the grain side of the skin. Preferably the portion of reduced thickness is stretched somewhat. Then there is secured to said portion of reduced thickness a strip 22 of elastic material such as elastic webbing, sheet rubber, or material known as lastex, said strip being preferably thin whereby to keep down the overall thickness of the marginal edge portion of the upper. Strip 22, before it is attached to the marginal edge portion of quarter it, is of less length than that of said marginal edge portion. Accordingly strip 22 is stretched and in its stretched condition is firmly united with said marginal edge portion by means of a suitable adhesive, such as rubber cement. This may be accomplished by placing quarter IS in fiat condition upon a table or other suitable support and by superimposing on said marginal edge portion strip 22 in stretched condition. While thus held in stretched condition, strip 22 is adhesively united with the adjacent surface of marginal edge portion l8 by means of rubber cement applied for completely covering the contiguous surfaces of said strip and marginal edge portion. When, as here shown, marginal edge portion [8 has an inwardly folded part 24, the latter is also adhesively united with the opposite surface of strip 22 while the latter is under tension. After the rubber cement has set, the tension on strip 22 is released.

Measurements of the lengths of marginal edge portion l8 and strip 22 before and after their attachment to each other in the manner just described indicate that the length of marginal edge portion l8, composed. of leather, is decreased in the composite elastic material in its normal contracted state, while the length of elastic strip 22 in said composite material, in its normal contracted state, is intermediate the lengths thereof in its stretched and unstretched states and hence, is in partially stretched condition in the composite material. It is found, however, that although the marginal edge portion of leather quarter it has been reduced in length the flat and smooth condition of its outer surface thereof is not impaired, but on the contrary, at least to the naked eye, is smooth as ordinary leather skin with which the art is familiar. The method for rendering marginal edge portion l8 elastic may be the same as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent N 0. 2,136,092 granted to me November 8, 1938. After marginal edge portion i8 is rendered elastic, and when it includes the inwardly folded portion 2a, the parts are stitched together by a line of stitching 26 extending completely around the shoe adjacent the lower edge of folded portion 2%, said line of stitching passing through the three layers of said marginal edge portion.

The shoe, as here shown, is provided with the usual lining or doubler 28 which is adhesively secured at its upper edge portion to part 28 of quarter Hi, the upper edge of said lining being disposed closely adjacent the lower edge of folded portion 24. A textile covering strip 30 is cemented to the upper edge portion of said lining and to the lower edge portion of folded part 24, said covering strip 30 extending completely around said shoe.

In the form of invention illustrated in Fig. 3, the upper is rendered elastic and yieldable only at the upper edge portion 32 thereof at the front edge of the foot opening. This is accomplished substantially in the same manner as described above in connection with marginal edge portion 18, the only difference being in the part of the upper which is elastic. As here shown, the inwardly folded edge portion 3 5 of the upper terminates at points 36 and 38 at the sides of the front edge of the foot opening of the shoe and the front edge portion of the upper is stretchable and contractable longitudinally of said front edge of the foot opening between said points. The inwardly folded edge portion 34 may be stitched in position by a line of stitching 40 which passes through the outer layer of the upper, the intermediate elastic strip and the inwardly folded upper portion 34, in spaced relation forwardly of the folded edge 42, although said line of stitching may be omitted, if desired, as the cement by which said upper material and the intervening elastic strip are secured will ordinarily be sufficient for maintaining said parts in position.

Thus it is seen that the construction herein shown and described are well adapted to accomplish the several objects of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as here specifically shown. Accordingly, I do not wish to be limited precisely to the present disclosure except as may be required by the appended claims considered with reference to the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe comprising an upper having elastic and inelastic parts in integral relation, said elastic part being disposed at the marginal edge portion of the shoe opening and comprising composite elastic material, said composite elastic material including an outer layer of thin leather having a continuous outer surface and an inner layer of elastic material adhesively united to the inner surface of said leather layer throughout the contiguous surfaces of said layers, said leather layer in said marginal portion of said elastic part being sufficiently thin to stretch substantially and contract with said inner layer, said elastic layer being in stretched condition when said leather layer is in unstressed condition, whereby a nonwrinkling outer surface results.

2. A shoe comprising an upper having elastic and inelastic parts in integral relation, said elastic part being disposed at the marginal edge portion of the shoe opening and having a portion thereof integral therewith folded inwardly of the shoe at the foot opening, said folded marginal edge portion including outer and inner layers of thin leather, said outer layer having a continuous outer surface, and a strip of elastic material adhesively secured in partially stretched condition to the inner surfaces of said inner and outer layers of said folded marginal edge portions throughout the contiguous surfaces of said layers when said layers are unstressed,

said inner and outer leather layers being sufficiently thin to stretch substantially and contract together with said elastic material, whereby a non-wrinkling outer surface results.

SEYMOUR TROY. 

